Can I get a drumroll, please? It’s time for (in my humble opinion) one of the best recurring features on Bored Panda—a round-up of the best latest photos from the ‘Mildly Interesting’ subreddit. A community with nearly 18.8 million members, r/mildlyinteresting is a haven for original photos of, well, mildly interesting stuff. We’ve been mildly impressed by how friendly and genuinely creative the community is time and time again. And we hope that you’ve been, too, dear Pandas.
Check out their latest top posts below and remember to upvote your fave ones as you’re scrolling down. Oh, and when you’re done, have a look through Bored Panda’s recent posts about the subreddit over here, right here, as well as here. It’s cool. It’s witty. And it’ll improve your week. Mildly.
Photographer Dominic Sberna from Ohio shared his perspective on taking quality pictures and composition with Bored Panda. You'll find his insights into the world of photography below. You'll also find our interview with Cowbeller1, one of the moderators curating the 'Mildly Interesting' subreddit, below.
#1 The Way My Windscreen Froze
Image credits: Liamers
#2 An Old TV Repurposed Into A Cat Bed For My Cat’s Birthday
Image credits: BrewCoven
#3 There Is A House Near Me That Looks Like It’s Out Of A Fairytale
Image credits: reddit.com
Redditor Cowbeller1, one of the moderators at r/mildlyinteresting gave us a glance into how some of the most popular posts on the subreddit gain their fame. "A lot of it has to do with luck," they said that fortune plays an important role in photos going viral.
"Maybe you come across something interesting in your day-to-day life and remember to take a picture, maybe you're just lucky enough that something is interesting to the community. No real rhyme or reason aside from that," they shared their opinion.
As for the future, the subreddit plans to do what it does best: remain a stable and unchanging source of entertainment, as well as a cornerstone of Reddit "We will just continue doing the same thing. We've found that being boringly consistent is the best way to remain fair to the community. There haven't been any major changes in a while," moderator Cowbeller1 said.
#4 The Petals Of This Camellia Flower
Image credits: ewilio
#5 1930’s Parquet Flooring Restored Today!
Image credits: Fallinator95
#6 Locals In Puerto Rico Painted This Mural. They Made Sure To Include The Dog That Chills There Often.
Image credits: gemjammm
Photographer Dominic shared that over the past year he's expanded his network and gotten to know even more professional photographers. "Seeing the amount of time and planning some of them do is astounding," he praised his peers. "One such person I know made a 48 hour round trip (driving) to photograph a specific location recently."
According to the photographer, whether a professional relies more on their intuition or plans everything out with regard to the composition of a photo depends on each individual's style of photography. "But for the most part, planning is everything. This means different things to different people, but planning is important. Being instinctive comes down to an individual preference, I suppose, and is a different facet to the plan of attack," Dominic shared that thinking things through is vital to success.
#7 My Friend's Shoes Look Like They Are Screaming
Image credits: ExplodingSofa
#8 My Teacher Made Pokémon Animal Type Of Cards For Science.
Image credits: reddit.com
#9 Live Power Line Fell, It Was So Hot That It Melted Through The Sidewalk And Turned The Sand Underneath To Glass
Image credits: reddit.com
As for whether or not a photo will be successful, Dominic is open that even the greatest professionals can't say for certain if a project will get the popularity it deserves. "We've all taken photos that we know are aesthetically sound, but they don't get the feedback we feel they deserve. Then, we'll take a photo that we like, but think is just another 'good, not great' photo, and it takes social media by storm. I've seen it happen," he said.
"Unfortunately, some of this has to do with algorithms, time of day being posted, and paid ads," the photographer explained that in the modern world, we have to be aware of the technical aspects that come with sharing photos online.
"A quality photo will not always get the praise it deserves. It's the truth of art. At the end of the day, one has to like their own work that they're putting out there. If others like it too, that's just an added bonus. Photographing what you want is extremely important to not lose artistic integrity and drive and it's also equally as difficult to tune out the noise," Dominic said.
#10 My Dog Had A Paw Print On His Paw
Image credits: af0929
#11 My Beer 4-Pack Came With Paperboard Rings, Instead Of Plastic
Image credits: heterosis
#12 My Newly Acquired Harry Potter And The Philosopher's Stone Fore-Edge Painted Book! Featuring A Secret Platform 9 3/4 Scene On The Edges Of The Pages.
Image credits: reddit.com
The r/mildlyinteresting subreddit celebrated a whopping 9 years of activity this February and there’s no stopping the community from growing larger and larger still. However much it expands, the moderators are doing what they can to make sure it doesn’t change too much. “We've been working hard to keep it that way,” redditor RedSquaree, one of the moderators of r/mildlyinteresting, told me in an earlier interview.
"The mildly interesting feel of the subreddit is maintained probably due to its rule about titles which weeds out all clickbait which is common in other subreddits. On our side, submissions have massively increased and the moderation team has been forced to expand," moderator RedSquaree earlier told Bored Panda that the mod team is very active and interested in maintaining the high quality of the content.
#13 The Melting Snow On This Chair Looks Like A Tree
Image credits: reddit.com
#14 My Dad Put Food Coloring On Icicles
Image credits: reddit.com
#15 The Way The Snow Melted On My Walkway
Image credits: yassismore
Rule-breaking isn’t tolerated and transgressors are quickly sanctioned. “We're removing more rule-breaking content than ever before; often the content is OC [original content] and can be resubmitted which is great,” RedSquaree explained the ins and outs of how the community and the mods interact.
“There haven't been any massive changes in how we do things recently, although over the past few years we have used bots to automate a lot of our moderation practices. We haven't changed the rules in years despite some temptations caused by fads. In my honest opinion, it has been for the best. The sub feels pretty much the way it always has."
RedSquaree earlier explained to us how the inspiration to create r/mildlyinteresting first came about back in 2012. The mod told Bored Panda how one thread led user Doginabathtub to create the community but who has been "missing in action for years, and left the mod team years after becoming inactive as a moderator,” RedSquaree explained.
#16 While Hiking An Isolated Jungle Trail In The Amazon, We Came Across This Post Marking The Equator.
Image credits: reddit.com
#17 This Bookshelf In Tallinn Airport
Image credits: qasqaldag
#18 My Body Wash Tells You What Each Ingredient Is
Image credits: reddit.com
"So, I suppose Woggietree named the sub he did not found! A few years ago we were featured in a h3h3 Productions video (linked in our sidebar) which was a great compliment and is perhaps a good marker of success,” the mod said.
#19 A Reminder For Parents To Not Be Assholes
Image credits: A_C_Citizenz
#20 I Built A Magnetic Marble Run For My Fridge.
Image credits: reddit.com
#21 The Shadow On The Stairs Looks Like Another Set Of Stairs
Image credits: reddit.com
The main draw of the community is the original content. Only original photos can be posted, nothing else! It’s OC or the high road. “Our content is generated by our community and given that titles cannot be clickbait, there is a unique feeling of people seeing something mildly interesting, whipping their phone out of their pocket, capturing, and posting,” the mod shared how proud they are of their fellow redditors.
#22 My Cat Looking Like He Flushed Himself Down The Drain
Image credits: Iiri92
#23 This Old Color Pencil Box After Termites Ate All The Wood
Image credits: Drship
#24 This Photo I Took That Looks Like It's On The Moon
Image credits: reddit.com
“The community feels very interactive (the content creators are all here) and laid back. This is probably why our comments sections are almost always nice and relaxed and, themselves, mildly interesting,” the mod said.
#25 The Same Color Liquid In Different Colored Buckets Makes For An Interesting Comparison/Contrast.
Image credits: bipnoodooshup
#26 The Wine I Ordered Online Came With A Tiny Set Of Dice Packaged Inside A Hollow Cork
Image credits: reddit.com
#27 The Reflection From My Window Decal Makes My Toilet Look Like A Quest Item In A Video Game
Image credits: DanielInternets
#28 My Odometer Says 1234567890
Image credits: reddit.com
#29 Silly Walk Clock
Image credits: Inexperienced__128
#30 Dropped My Headphone At The Beach And It Pulled Iron Out Of The Sand.
Image credits: GromainRosjean
#31 The Fuzz On My Sock Looks Like A Flamingo
Image credits: littleorganbigm
#32 This Sign At A Local Nature Preserve Has The Words Inverted So You Can Read It In The Water.
Image credits: benjam33
#33 A 300-Year-Old Brick With A Paw Print In It
Image credits: reddit.com
#34 This Sofa Set Made Out Of Red Bricks.
Image credits: presidentkangaroo
#35 Snowman Totoro.
Image credits: reddit.com
#36 A Little Crab Pen Holder I Found In Tokyo
Image credits: tuesdaygoose
#37 This ‘Mini’ Evolution I Saw In London
Image credits: reddit.com
#38 Anatomy In Marble
Image credits: Ukkalizer
#39 My Dog Yawned At The Exact Moment I Took A Photo Of Him In Front Of The Graffiti That Looks Like Him.
Image credits: living-trainwreck
#40 The Size Of A Fiber Optic Wire Capable Of Supplying A Home With High Speed Internet
Image credits: sippen730
#41 Australian Flood Waters Meet The Ocean
Image credits: mafu79
#42 A Small River Going Over Another
Image credits: invadrrrr
#43 I Made A Circle Out Of LEGO Bricks
Image credits: dunkar00ed
#44 I Was Born Without Finger Or Toe Prints.
Image credits: jedWanderMouse
#45 My GF's Chair Looks Like A Duck With Hair.
Image credits: Infernoscare
#46 One Of The Eggs I Poached This Morning Came Out Looking Like A Human Heart
Image credits: reddit.com
#47 I Have A Coin From When Hadrian Was Emperor Of Rome Thats Almost 2000 Years Old
Image credits: reddit.com
#48 My Flatmate And I Took Nearly The Same Photo Walking Home At Different Times
Image credits: reddit.com
#49 Wood Splinters That Look Like A City
Image credits: bignector
#50 Every $1 Bill I’ve Collected From Tips Over 2 Years (Roughly 1600)
Image credits: DrSuessMDphD
#700-page #ThingsThatAreMildlyInteresting #CoolPics #MildlyInterestingNetwork #MildlyInterestingStuff
